The ends were then firmly secured by means of bolts passed through
bolt holes which had been previously drilled. The frame was completed by
fitting the spreader sticks in place, after which it was laid away to dry.
When the frame was perfectly dry we started weaving the web. In this case,
however, instead of cord we used cane strips, which we had bought from a
chair caner. This necessitated drilling holes in the side sticks to
receive the cane strips. The web consisted of strands crossing each other
diagonally, as illustrated. Our second pair of Iroquois snow shoes was
made with a web of rawhide which we bought from a hardware store at
Millville.
[Illustration: Fig. 30. Frame of Iroquois Shoe.]
[Illustration: Fig. 31. Iroquois Snow Shoe.]
The Ainu Snow Shoe.
[Illustration: Fig. 32. Ainu Snow Shoe.]
One of the snowshoes described in the book was very much like Fred's
barrel-hoop snow shoe in appearance. According to the description, it was
a type used by the Ainus, a peculiar people living in the cold northern
islands of Japan. As the shoe seemed quite simple and rather unique, we
thought we would make one like it. Two hickory strips each 4 feet long
were bent to a V-shape and lashed together, forming an oval about 2 feet 6
inches long by 18 inches wide.
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